clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

The Swarm

This article talks about the Bears highly ranked special teams unit and the system coach Dave Toub uses to keep guys motivated.   It consists on awarding 'Swarm Points' based on tackles, fumbles, recoveries.  The number of points increases based on the quality of opponents.  

the first Bear downfield on a kick gets one point; a tackle is worth three points; a big play, such as forcing or recovering a fumble, is four points. And the system can be weighted differently for a premier returner like Drummond.

"We keep a [points] board and it's just the competition, who's the winner and who's the loser," Toub said because NFL salary-cap rules forbid monetary prizes. "And it wouldn't matter if you did bet with these guys. You tell them, 'Hey, I'll buy you a hamburger if you do this,' and they'll do it to win.

"That's why they're at this level."

Of the 22 categories most NFL teams use to rate special teams, the Bears are in the top 10 in 12. Only one other team has more than nine such ratings.